Railway crossing bar



NOV. 13, 1951 Q E, MANLEY l 2,574,926

' RAILWAY CROSSING BAR Filed Feb. 15, 1948 2 SHEETS'f-SHEET l I 2 E 2 @j un i m5 Filed Fb. 15,' 1948 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 for Oa Maiz/ey Patented Nov. 13, 1951 OwenrE. ManleyllSpringield; I ll.

Application February 13, 1948-, Serial N'.n 8,032`

11 Claims.

This invention concer-ns intersections of railroads and highways and in particular refers to crossing bars which fill the spaces betwfeen-r the rails and the roadway.-

Asis common knowledge,in the construction oirail-street intersections,- a-cons'iderable ga-p or space is left between the inner edge of the-rail and the roadway fillV between the tracks, in order to accommodate passage of the flanged Wheels of railway rolling stock.v This gap causes an uneven roadway and vehicles passing over the railsy are often subjectv to very appreciable jarsl and bumps. In addition to' the` stresses placedV upon the vehicles crossmg such intersections and dis-1 comfort to the occupants thereof, the forces created by the uneven passage of trucks and automobiles have acumulativo effect which is harmful to the roadbed.l Thus, if the center lill between the tracks comprises al series of planks, these soon become loosened and dam-aged. If the fill is paving or gravel, it is, in time, `broken up or scattered so that thel uneven condition be comes morev aggravated.

In View of the modern tendency towardA higher vehicle speeds, Vthere 'has vbeen an increasing de` mand for means' to eliminate the foregoing conditions and it is anY object of my invention to meet this demand by providing a railway crossing bare which is adapted toll'the space 'between the' rail tracks and the roadway. Another object is to' provide a crossing bar which evens the road way, but which 'does not 'interfere 'with the'pas-y sage of trains along tlietrack.

It will be recognizedthat the desire to fill the spaces heretoforeV yreferred to'is in conict with the requirement' that la space-be provided along the edge of the 'rail to receive the flanges of the wheels of the trains. To overcome this diniculty, I provide a safety bar which is ilxed'ly positioned `iiush with the tops of the' railsr but which, upon suitableY actuation, is capable -of downward movement to leave space for the wheel anges. In the preferred formof my invention, the bar is normally held in a xed position by a lower support member which has upright legs engaging downwardly extend-ing 'legs on the cross bar. The support mem-ber vis capable of sliding movement along the track to permit disengagement of the legs and allow the crossing bar vto be forced Adownward against springs by the flanges of the train wheels. Sliding Vmovement of the support member is vactua-ted by the Wheel flanges acting upon la novel linkage which is Aconstructed and arranged to cha-nge the substantially lvertical forces applied thereto kby the Y` sideration of the accompanying drawings Y 2 wheelsinto horizontal forces for moving the support member.l

The foregoing and other features and objects of my invention will become apparent after a conin which:

Figure 1 isl a plan view of the rail-street intersection to which the invention might be applied.

.Figure12 is a top plan view of the invention and includes a portion of a rail.

Figure- 3 is a side' elevation taken along aplanev between; the rail and the` improved? crossing bar and shows thebarin elevated position.

`Fig-ure 4` is aview similar to tha-t of Figure 3. It has parts broken away to show the central por-tion of the nevel linkage and it shows the crossba-r in depressedV position to accommodate passage of a train.

Figure 5 is an enlargedcross section taken along the line of 5-5 ofFigure 4 and includes a portion of the rail and roadway.

Figure 6 is an enlarged cross section taken along the line of 6'6 of Figure 3 and includes a portionl of the 'rail and roadway. 1

` Figure '7* is an enlarged side elevation of a portionA of the mechanism.

Figure 8o isa' 'top pla-n View of the structur shown' in Figure 7. f

Figure 9` is a cross section of a'modifled form of the invention. n

Referring tol the -drawingsyFigure l shows th'e intersection of a roadway and a railway. As wellV known, the roadway is substantially ush with-the tops-'of the rails A so that it is neces? `M-'y invention; as shown in plan in Figure g2',

adapted to t'into `thegrooves S which are adjacent to the rails A and includes a vertically movable crossing yhar I which Iin its inoperative position, as shownin Figures 2, 3; and 6, is substanti-ally flush with the top of the rail rra-nd therefore prevents the jarring and striking forces jiist referred to.

'jin the preferred forni of crossing bar AI i'sfsimifl-'ar toanfangle bar andi-ias a transverse or horizontal -ange 3 which is n'iy invention; l the" s 3 adapted to fill the groove S. The vertical side, or web of the bar I, is recessed at intervals to form a plurality of spaced legs 1. The web 5 also has a, plurality of spaced, vertical slots 9.

The bar I is guidably connected to a carrier plate I I by means of the transverse pins I3 in the plate which extend through the vertical slots 9. The plate I I has a vertical side I5 and a horizontal side I1 which may be joined by reinforcing ribs I9. The vertical side I5 of the carrier plate I I forms one side of the space 5, the rail A forming the other, and is preferably of such length that the horizontal side I1 rests practically on the railroad ties. 1

The bar I is supported or locked in xed, elevated position by a support member 2|. This member preferably is a, vertical plate which is` recessed on its upper side to form a plurality of spaced legs 23 which are in alignment With-and engaging the legs 1 of thebar I while inoperative. The support member 2| has a plurality of horizontal slots 25 for a purpose to be presently described.

The support member 2| is slidably mounted for longitudinal or horizontal movement parallel to the rail A and the bar I. For this purpose, there are provided a plurality of upright support brackets 21 which are inwardly spaced from the carrier plate II. I prefer to construct these brackets so that the lower portions thereof taper toward the plate I I, whereby they may be fixedly connected thereto, as by welding, as shown at 29. The member 2| is positioned between the brackets 21 and the plate II. A plurality of transverse pins 3| are journaled in the brackets 21 and carrier plate II and extend through the horizontal slots 25 in the member. The member 2| is thus capable of horizontal, but not vertical, movement. I prefer to mount rollers 33 on the pins 3| to ride in the slots 25 and thereby facilitate horizontal movement.

Horizontal movement of the support members is actuated by the wheel flange of an approaching train acting through suitable linkage connected to the member. This linkage may take several different forms, the criterion being that it be capable of transferringa downward thrust by the wheel into a horizontal force on the support member 2|. The linka'gewhich I prefer includes a, central rocker arm 35 which is pivoted at substantially its midpoint tol the middle bracket 21, as by the pin 3l. A horizontally and upwardly extending link 39 is pivotally connected at its lower end to the lower end of the rocker arm, as shown at 4|, and at its upper end, to the support member 2|, as shown at 43. Long longitudinal links 4 5 and 41 are pivotally connected respectively to the upper and lower ends of the rocker arm 35, as shown at 49 and 4|, and

extend out in either direction beyond the ends of the bar I and the support 2| and hence, beyond the sides of the roadway.

The links 45 and 41 are actuated by identical sub-systems of linkages 50 hence, only one will be described. Each sub-system has a guide arm 5| which is pivotally connected to the outer ends of the links, as shown at 53, and also to the carrier plate II at a point 55 which is inward toward the edge of the road with respect to the connection 53. A substantially vertical link 51 is also pivotally connected to the arm 5| and the link 45 or 41 at the point 53., This link, as shown in Fig. 3, has its upper end disposed close to the top of the plate II and bar I, so that it will be contacted and. depressed-,hv theaneenf 2.'.`

4 train wheel on the rail A. The upper end of the link 51 is pivotally connected at 59 to a substantially longitudinal guide arm 6| which is pivoted to the plate II at its outermost end as indicated at 63.

Two means are provided for yieldably holding the mechanism just described in the position shown in Figure 3, i. e., the position in which the bar I is elevated to form a part of the roadway. In `my preferred form the first of these means comprises a coil spring 65 which is connected to the carrier plate II, as shown at 61, and to a suitable point in the linkage, for example, the point 53, so that it yieldably biases the support member 2| to the position of Figure 3 in which the legs 23 are in alignment with the legsl of the bar I. The second means comprises thesprings 69 whichY are compressed between the flange 3 of the bar I and flanges 1| on the brackets 21, so that they urge the bar I upwardly tothe elevated position of Figure 3. Pins 13 may be provided on the flanges 3 and 1| for confining the springs 69 topredetermined positions.

In operation, the mechanism heretofore de-A- scribed is in the position of Figure 3 while inoperative. In this position the bar I is rigidly heldv so that its flange 3 fills the groove S and smooths the roadway by means of the cooperating legs 1 and 23. When a train approaches along the rails A, however, a wheel flange rides along the arm 6| and depresses the link 51. This forces the linkageto rotate about the xed point 55 and moves the links 45 and 41 inwardly toward the centerl of the road. This movement causes the rocker arm 35 to pivot about its center 33 in a clockwise direction. As the arm 35 moves in this direction, it carries the link y39 inwardly toward the left in Figures I3 and 4. Since the link 39 is attached at 43 to the support member 2 I, its movement to the left slides this member leftward on the rollers 33 so that the ends of legs 23 become disengaged from the ends of the legs 1. When this occurs, the springs 69 supply the only resistance to depression of the bar I from its elevated position. When the flange of the train wheel rides over the b ar I, it therefore depresses it as shown in Figure 4 and passes without interference across the roadway in the groove S. After the train has passed, the springs 69 force the bar I to its elevated flush position and the tension in spring B5 is transmitted through the link 41 to rotate the arm in a counterclockwise direction. This slides the support member to the right and legs 1 and 23 are brougt into alignment to positively preventv depression of the bar I. If desired, the edges of the legs 1 and 23 may be rounded as shown at 15 to facilitate the reengagement of the legs.

In the modified form of my invention, shown in Figure 9, the aforedescribed structure is not changed, but a housing |0I is included to encase the bar and support member 2|. This is adapted to accommodate vertical movement of the crossing bar I and for this purpose comprises two sections which are k movable relative to each other. tion |03 and upper parallel plates |05 xedly attached to the inner and outer edge of the ilange 3 on the bar I. These plates may be slidably con- I prefer to have a lower trough-like secforeign elements..` If desiredpthe housing` maybe substantially filled with,l a suitable lubricant,

preferably solid, such asgraphite, as shown vat,

tions. It will be understood, ofcourse, ,that,the

specic features and structuresdescribed may be modied without departing from' the invention as defined by the appended clairiis.` In particular it may. b r'itdthat, i-fv desired, the' carrier 'pla-te Il may be eliminated manyvapplications and the remaining mechanism` reversed and conn ected to theweb of the rail A: bymeansfoffthe |13, 3| arid connection-2S; L y

1. In a railway crossing bar mechanism, an upper member adapted to substantially fill the space between a rail and a roadway, said upper member being capable of movement downward between a rail and roadway, a lower support member operatively connected to the upper member so as to prevent downward movement thereof, means whereby the members may be disconnected to permit downward movement of the upper` member, and force transmitting means operatively connected to the aforementioned means for actuating the same to disconnect the members, said force transmitting means being constructed and arranged to transmit disconnecting forces when contacted by the wheel of a train passing along the rail.

2. In a railway crossing bar mechanism, an upper member adapted to substantially fill the space between a rail and roadway and having a plurality of spaced downwardly extending legs. said upper member being capable of downward movement, a lower support member having a .f

plurality of spaced upwardly extending legs engaging the aforementioned legs whereby the lower member prevents downward movement of the upper member, one of the members being movable transversely whereby the legs are disengaged, means adapted to be actuated by a train wheel for moving the one member transversely.

3. A mechanism as claimed in claim 2 including resilient means for resisting downward movement of the upper member.

4. In a railway crossing bar mechanism, an upper member adapted to substantially ll the space between the rail and a roadway and having a plurality of spaced downwardly extending legs, said upper member being capable of downward movement, a lower support member having a plurality of spaced upwardly extending legs normally engaging the aforementioned legs whereby the lower member prevents downward movement of the upper member, said lower member being capable of transverse movement whereby the legs are disengaged, and linkage adapted to be actuated by the train wheels connected to the lower member for moving the same transversely to disengage said legs.

5. In a railway crossing bar mechanism, an upper member adapted to substantially ll the space between a rail and a roadway, said member being cap-able of downward movement, a lower support member, means operatively connecting said members to prevent downward movement of th upper member, said lower support member being capable of horizontal movement, said means being constructed and arranged so as to be disconnected by such horizontal movement,

and. means.. connected to the iowermmber for actuating :transverse movement, said last means beingn 'arranged to be actuatedl by the wheels of a trainon the rail.

6.111 a railway crossing bar mechanism, a yieldable member adapted to substantially fill the-i spacebetween a rail and a roadway, locking m'earisifori holding the member in a xedpositionv substantially ,flush with said roadway', and means operatively associatedwith Vsaid locking means capable of actuation by fa passing train for unlocking the? locking means.

"l' railwaycrossing barv mechanism comprising a'vertically movable upper member adapted tolsubstantially ll the spacebetween a rail and roadway means yieldably biasing the member to an upward position, a horizontally movable lower member capable when in one position of fixed-1 1y supporting the upper member so that it is substantially flush with a roadway means yieldably biasing the lower member to said one position, and means capable of actuation by a passing train for horizontally moving the lower member against said last means away from the one position to permit downward movement of the upper member against the rst means when a train passes thereover.

8. In a railway crossing bar mechanism for insertion in the space between a rail and a roadway, an elongated carrier plate, a space filling member slidably mounted on the carrier plate for movement transverse to the major dimension thereof, a support member slidably mounted on the carrier plate beneath the other member for longitudinal movement with respect to the plate. said members having alternate protuberances and recesses normally arranged so that the protuberances are in engagement whereby the support member prevents longitudinal movement of the other member, and means capable of actuation by the wheels of a train for slidably moving the support member to disengage the protuberances and cause them to be in alignment with recesses thereby permitting longitudinal movement of the space lling member.

9. In a railway crossing bar mechanism for insertion in a groove between a rail and a roadway, an upper member adapted to substantially ll the space between a rail and roadway, a lower support member, an elongated carrier plate, means connecting the upper member to the plate for limited vertical movement, means connecting the lower member to the plate for limited longitudinal movement, interengaging means on said members arranged so that when the members are in predetermined positions relative to each other the lower member prevents downward movement of the upper member, a movable link arranged so that a portion thereof is adjacent to and substantially flush with the top of a rail, a pivoted rocker arm, a link pivotally connected to the rocker arm and to the lower member, and linkage connecting the movable link to the rocker arm whereby a downward thrust thereon by a train wheel actuates the arm and attached link to move the lower member to a position wherein downward movement of the upper member is permitted.

10. A device for filling gaps or the like comprising, in combination, an elongated ller member `capable of vertical movement, means yieldably urging the member to one vertical position, movable support means operative in one position to prevent vertical movement of the member in one direction but rendered inoperative by movement to another position, means yieldably urging.

the support means to said one operative position, an actuator spaced beyond one end of the ller member and capable of longitudinal movement, and means operatively connecting the actuator to the support means so that the longitudinal movement of the actuator in one direction moves the support means to an inoperative position to permit vertical movement of said ller member in the one direction.

. 11. In a railway crossing bar mechanism the combination of a vertically movable elongated upper member adapted to substantially ll the space between a rail and roadway, a longitudinally movable elongated lower member capable in one position of lxedly supporting the upper member against vertical movement in one direction, a housing encasing the members having a portion thereof vertically movable with the upper member, and means capable of actuation by a passing train for longitudinally moving the lowerA member away from the one position to permit vertical movement of the upper member.

OWEN E. MANLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

